The Exact Outfit Rama Duwaji Wore to Her Husband Zohran Mamdani's Inauguration

New York’s 112th mayor, Zohran Mamdani, was inaugurated into office at the start of the New Year. Apart from his promises to make the city more accessible to its everyday residents, another topic shared the spotlight: his wife’s outfits. Scrutinizing a first lady’s style choices isn’t new to the public. While not always the case, often the clothes they wear are seen as indicative of their personality and values, and, in extension, their spouse’s, too.

Rama Duwaji, Zohran’s wife, didn’t escape criticism as all eyes were trained on her looks, particularly her footwear.

The American-Syrian artist first hit the headlines when she was slammed for wearing $630 boots to her husband’s swearing-in ceremony. The black leather Shelley Boots from fashion brand Miista stirred controversy as onlookers called it hypocritical of her to have spent on a “luxury” brand considering Zohran’s political stances, rooted on economic equality.

Once the issue broke out, several social media users came to Rama’s defense. They pointed out that other, particularly white, first ladies, were spared from this type of backlash despite having donned way more expensive pieces in public. One commenter wrote, “The meltdown on rama’s miista boots / being styled is so so illustrative of the fact that fashion & politics have always gone hand in hand.”

The issue was seemingly put to rest when Rama’s stylist, Gabrielle Karefa-Johnson, revealed on her blog that everything she wore that day was either borrowed or loaned, including the now highly divisive leather boots. "Thrifting is something Rama does often—she’s an exceptionally savvy shopper—so renting second-life fashion felt like the most authentic way to approach a moment of this magnitude," she wrote.

Rama wore two ensembles that day. Along with the Miista shoes, her first outfit included a vintage Balenciaga coat from Albright Fashion Library, gold archival earrings from New York Vintage, and wide-leg shorts from The Frankie Shop.

Her second look for the public ceremony later that day featured a brown funnel-neck coat from Renaissance, Renaissance. It was designed by Cynthia Merhej, a Palestinian-Lebanese creative who collaborated with her family to come up with the coat’s design. According to Cynthia, the piece “encapsulates [Rama] perfectly... It was made in Lebanon by Lebanese women…a testament to the superhuman strength of women and our community.”

Grabielle echoed the coat's symbolic message on her blog: "On her first official day as First Lady of New York, Rama is wearing a small, independent woman designer from the Middle East. That representation resonates. It reverberates. Because fashion communicates. It sends a message. This, we know."